Can
representations of violence be aesthetic? How can
translation reconfigure violence? Can writing be
used as a mode of conflict resolution ? In this
interactive session on writing violence and the
violence of writing , Radha Chakravarty uses examples
from Crossings, her translations from 20 Bangla
writers, Chokher Bali, the early Tagore novel recently
revived as a film, and Mahasweta Devi's short-story
collection In the Name of the Mother.

Radha Chakravarty, scholar, writer and academic,
is currently translating major Bangla writers into
English. She was recently nominated for the Crossword
Translation Award. Her essays, articles and reviews
have been published in books and journals worldwide.
She also works actively on gender issues.

The
discovery of terracotta sculptures dating from 200
BC is not exciting news for anyone but archaeologists.
Wrong. This discovery sheds new light on India's
art history between the Mauryas and the Guptas.
These were sculptures made for the mass market stretching
from the Northwest frontier to Bengal indicating
the existence of a civilization that was neither
Buddhist, Jain or Hindu. He will be introduced by
Deeksha Bhardwaj lecturer Dept. of History Gargi
College.

Dr Ahuja specializes in early Indian sculpture.
He is a Fellow of the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford and
Tutor of Indian Art at the British Museum London.

Iran
upto the mid 70's was one of the most modern nations
in Asia. Then came Ayatollah Khomeni , the Fatwa
against Salman Rushdie and the rise of the religious
police directed at the social freedom enjoyed by
both men and women leading Iran backwards into the
Middle Ages . Today Iranian women are trying to
regain basic freedoms, equal pay and the right to
travel without the permission of a husband or male
relative.

Kalyani Shankar is a senior journalist based in
New Delhi and a frequent commentator in radio and
television. Formally the Washington correspondent
and Political Editor of the Hindustan Times she
is currently Vice President of the Press Association
of India and founder member of the Indian Women
Press Corps.

who
takes us on an autobiographical musical journey
in an informal evening of discourse and recital.
She speaks and sings to convey something more personal
and unique that will enrich all of us whether or
not we are initiated into the specific musical milieu
that she imbibes.

Activist, composer, musicologist, but above all,
phenomenal vocalist, Shanno Khurana doyenne of the
Rampur gharana has fought tirelessly since Independence
to keep this classical tradition alive. Her emotive
and powerful voice continues to capture our hearts
even today sixty years after her first broadcast
on Lahore Radio in 1945. She is the recipient of
several prestigious awards across the world.

tuesday
13th september to monday 26th september 10.00 am to 5.30 pm 'EXHIBITION OF PHOTOGRAPHS
ENCOUNTERS WITH NATURE' by Nanak Chand Dhingra

A
passion for nature and wildlife photography is reflected
in this magnificent series of photographs documenting
and showcasing India's wildlife including some very
rare, never before recorded animal behavior.

Nanak Chand Dhingra, is an engineer by profession.
For over a decade now has captured unforgettable
images with his lens . He has been deeply involved
with wildlife promotional work. His images adorn
many prominent wildlife and nature magazines and
newspapers.

An
activist judiciary has come to the rescue of our
habitat. Forests and wildlife have to be saved.
This discussion centers around the role that the
courts are playing in the protection of our environment
and how they have saved our forests from virtual
extinction in the last 10 years.

Mahindra Vyas is a Supreme Court lawyer specializing
in Environmental law. He is a Trustee for Legal
Action for Wildlife Environment and a member of
the Central Empowered Committee constituted by the
Supreme Court to deal with forest and wildlife issues.
He is also a member of the CAT specialist group
in the IUCN.

tuesday 20th september
'DOCUMENTARY FILM & TALK' by Mike Pandey

THE
LAST MIGRATION ( ELEPHANT CAPTURE IN SARGUJA ) 52
MINS.

Mike Pandey is "one of India's most accomplished
nature film makers " He is " a one - camera
army fighting to preserve India's wild-life heritage."
He will be present at both showings of his films.

friday 23th september
7.00 pm 'SLIDE SHOW / TALK FREE FROM THE FOREST'
by
Rajesh Thandani

The
Himalayan forests provide a wide range of ecosystem
services, ranging from unexplored bio diversity,
to a variety of non-timber forest products that
form the backbone of rural livelihoods in the hills.
We use these forests; yet rarely ascribe any economic
benefits to them. We change the functioning of these
fragile ecosystems, without perceiving what we have
done. This talk will explore the impacts of human
use on the functioning and ecology of the Himalayan
ecosystem.

Rajesh Thadani has a Ph.D in Forest Ecology and
Physiology from the School of Forestry, Yale University.
He has worked and published on the ecology of the
Himalayan forests. He was the Executive Director
of Chirag, an established grassroots development
NGO of Uttaranchal, and is director of Kumaon Grameen
Udyog - a not for profit company that worked towards
creating livelihood opportunities for rural people
in the Kumaon Himalaya.

This illustrated talk guides you through the roughly
40 species of trees that are native to the Delhi
region. Only 3 or 4 are cultivated . Most of them
can be seen growing wild in untamed parts of the
Ridge or as relict street trees, but at least 3
species known to have been part of Delhi's native
flora at the start of the 20th century have disappeared
from Delhi completely.

Pradip Krishen has spent the last 6 years researching
and photographing a 'FIELD GUIDE TO DELHI'S TREES',
to be published towards the end of this year. Explore
Delhi from the unique perspective of her trees and
gardens either at this lecture or on his public
Tree Walks on Sunday mornings. Upto 1994 Pradip
Krishen directed the films 'MASSEY SAHIB' and 'IN
WHICH ANNIE GIVES IT THOSE ONES'. He is also an
'ecological gardener', working only with plants
that are native to a region. He has designed a 'native
plants garden' in Garhwal, and is starting a new
one in Nagaur.